more negotiations in the new year for a year long extension. >> let's make sure that we extend this tax break and unemployment insurance for a full year. >> lawmakers follow the president's wishes? we will talk to the ranking member of the house budget committee. a war of words with mitt romney firing back and criticized romney's economic policies and both accusinging the oth inthe losing touch with the other. >> john edwards say a mysterious medical condition will make it hard to be at a criminal trial. we will have details on that unusual request. midnight madness. shoppers ripping the doors off stores and trampling each other. one person even fired a shotgun to get at the shoes. i'm craig melvin for tamron

hall. "news nation" following breaking news now in the battle over the payroll tax cut extension. president obama held a briefing a short time ago after sounding the bill and gave instructions to congress for what to do next. >> when congress returns, i urge them to keep working without drama, without delay, to reach an agreement is that extends this tax cut as well as unemployment insurance through all of 2012. >> after weeks of partisan bickering it took the house and senate minutes to extend the cut for two months. harry reid named the four senators who will work with the house to come up with the long-term plan. senators cardin, casey, balk us and reed and then he scolded his colleagues. >> i hope this congress had a

good learning experience. especially those who are newer to this body. everything we do around here does not have to wind up in a fight. >> house republicans see it a different way. they said the past few days are emblematic of how our efforts to have been met with resistance. a two-month extension to work out differences would not have been necessary had senator reed and president obama been willing to do their job today. >> live from 1600 pennsylvania avenue, mike, we are here again. >> yeah, we are. an uneasy holiday truce is settled. moments ago at 1:59 eastern, air force one wheels up en route to hawaii. the capital emptied out as well. you got it right. the president appeared in the same briefing room in the white house and of course the west wing is behind me. a week ago tomorrow on saturday,

pretty much declaring that the negotiation had been over, the president was seen at that time ironically enough as having lost the battle. he was forced to accept a controversial provision in the extension of that tax cut that involved a controversial keystone pipeline. the very same bill with a few minor tweaks seen as a victory for the president. how did we get here? john boehner, the next day on sunday pulled the plug. he said that 89-10 vote that got so many republicans on board was not going to fly in the house. he had a rebel yon on his hands again. freshmen conservatives and many of them associated with the tea party came here a year ago to change washington very frustrated. none of them wanted a two-month extension. if they wanted a cut at all, they wanted it to be extended for another year. you know what happened over the course of the last 24 hours after republicans had piled on, including mitch mcconnell.

approved what the senate has done. the republican leadership in the house brought us to where we are today. the bill has already been signed. >> thanks. joining me now, democratic congressman chris van hollen from the budget committee. good afternoon to you. >> good afternoon, craig. >> we have not heard from many republicans, but the colleague did make a statement. he talked here a few hours ago. let's listen to what he said. >> okay. >> the american people lose because in two months we are back. that's not certainty for the markets and for employers. we tried to do good policy and got beat up. no good deed goes unpunished. >> we will be back here within the next 60 days or so. congressman, do you and your colleagues kick the can down the road? >> we made sure that as of january 1st, we don't see a

payroll tax hike on 160 million americans. the republican colleagues have fought the whole idea of a payroll hike for many, many months. they are now saying they want a full year extension. we agree. we could only come to an agreement in the first two months and now you have to make sure that the rest of the year also has the payroll tax cut. that's what we will be focused on right away. the important thing is to make sure we don't begin with a tax hike. >> what are do you think changed the sentiment on the hill? >> i think the american people looked at this and saw it made common sense to make sure starting in january we don't have a tax hike. the economy remains in a fragile state and it's important that people have more income to spend on goods and services and take care of their families and pay the rent. that's good for the economy. more people are buying goods and services and that means more

businesses and small businesses selling goods and services. people woke up to the fact that this was necessary. let's get it done starting january 1st and negotiate for the full year. >> once again, democrats and republicans went to the edge of the cliff. you didn't jump off, but as you alluded to and we heard for sometime, you guys don't get a deal done and this thing expires february 29th. what will it take for you and republican counterparts to craft a type of compromise? >> i certainly hope it doesn't come to the point we are once again in terms of the drama. we should be able to work together on a bipartisan fashion. that's what they were able to do. republicans and democrats and where we were finally able to get today. look, there differences. we say we should pay for this in part by asking folks who have done very well, with over $1 million to pay a surcharge on

their income over $1 million to cover the cost of a payroll tax cut. they rejected that. there will be back and forth on this. we think you can close a lot of corporate tax loopholes. this is why we needed time to discuss the issues. again, craig, as you mentioned in the lead in, the reality is that our republican colleagues came late to the idea of supporting the payroll tax cut for a year and rejected it for many months. i'm glad they are on board and got it done. let's finish the job as we get into the new year. >> congressman, merry christmas to you, sir. >> thank you, merry christmas. >> now to a decision of 2012. a war of words between mitt romney and joe biden. it started with the vice president slamming romney in an ad in the "des moines register." his policy prescription for an opportunity society leads to less not more opportunity. how can anyone forget the

economic catastrophe brought about by the same policies mr. romney is proposing. his are the same policies that deregulated wall street and turned it into a casino. while talking to voters in new hampshire, romney said the op ed shocked him. >> he needs to get out and meet with people. he seems to think he and the president made things better. >> let's bring in the "news nation" panel here. peter, democratic strategist is a public affairs staffer back in 2000. jim wateren, columnist for the new york times and msnbc contributor. good afternoon to all of you. >> good to be here. >> let's start with you. apparently based on the exchange, it looks like the white house is considering mitt romney, the inevitable nominee. >> clearly mitt romney is doing

very, very well. he has more money than the other candidates and has station power. he's gotten a lot of great endorsements, the recent one is from george h.w. bush. newt gingrich is a big factor. i wouldn't count him out by any means. he will be very, very strong. mitt romney is the man that many expect the republican nomination which is why the obama administration targeted him early. >> is what we saw and read and heard today, is that the argument that we are going to see play out over the next year. the competing visions between democrats and the entitlement society and republicans and what they call the opportunity society? >> that is and the curtain raiser on the 2012 election. the fact that vice president biden put that in the "des moines register" as the until. they want the voters focused on the differences between the republican candidates and specifically governor romney and

what the white house is for 2012. it's interesting that romney expresses shock. this is the campaign season and there is going to be questions about his economic policies which have been thin up until this point. his experience is something that the obama people are eager to run against. >> let's talk about team obama and the strategy. you had a conversation today with david axel rod, one of the president's chief advisers. talk to us more and i'm not asking you to spill the beans, but about the conversation in terms of strategy that the democrats will be using going forward. >> pretty interesting couple blocks. i knew i wasn't dining with a consultant as david could only be called chicago slump attire and sweat pants and northwestern university basketball with a jacket and jeans and far from

the maddening fray of the beltway. >> live it when we have writers where we get that type of description about the interviewees. >> yeah, this wasn't a male contestant on project runway. >> what did he say? >> no surprise on the payroll cuts as least in a short-term early christmas present for the democrats and very much a continuation of what he has always called the ub rus of republicans in the way they assessed a supposed mandate from the 2010 mid-terms and interestingly to the combative capitol hill politics associated back then in the mid 90s with then speaker newt gingrich. though i did not know about the biden op ed, some of things he said about entitlements and society was just said. it's a foreshadowing of what's going to happen. >> for sounds like they are also trying -- go ahead.

>> they are going to portray romney as very much a personification of an entitlement versus a guy whose family background was so dysfunctional. he had risen to the heights he had. >> jim, i will cut you off. we have 12 minutes here from the segment. i want to turn to the gop here. let's take a listen to what he said on fox. >> i think it's awful to say i won't do something when it hasn't been offered. fact is if governor romney wants to talk to me about that, we will have a full complete conversation about it and make a decision about what we want to do with the future. >> they are talking about being a possible vp nominee for mitt romney. what do you make of that? >> i think that he is saying the right thing. he should clearly consider if governor romney is the nominee and offers him that post, it's

something he ought to think about. cri chris cristy is a popular candidate. he would make an attractive running mate. he had tremendous gains and won tremendous respect from independents as well as republicans and democrats for meaning what he says and doing what he says. >> what are does chris christie bring to a republican ticket? >> it would be interesting. you will have two northeast governors on the ticket. not dissimilar to then governor clinton choosing -- or senator gore. the difference is i think the personification of the north eastern republican may not play well with the pace of the party where romney needs to shore up the south and the southwest and parts of the country where chris cristy is not as attractive with a conservative on the ticket.

>> it does not appear that he would add a lot to the ticket. before i let you go, campaigning in columbia south carolina today. newt gingrich, what do we expect to see and hear from him and do we think he has a shot at this thing? i will start with you quickly. >> yeah, and you want to see newt is newt and going to be unable to repress himself and talk way too much. he will be all over the map. i think he is filled with the risk of comes off as he did in the 90s when they are reporting back to republican congress had men and they should tell newt to shut up and he will run the risk of being or seeming too loud and just a little too weird for a lot of mainstream republican voters. >> all right, peter. thank you always and appreciate your time. merry christmas. up next, john edwards is awa

awaiting a judge's decision after asking him to delay the criminal trial or a mysterious health issue. new zealand's deadly earthquake has a new earthquake and accepteds people running into the streets. chaos breaks out as customers make a mad dash to get their hands on nike's air jordans. must be some shoe. joining the conversation online, you can find us on twitter. o0 0 hey guys, what can i get for you?

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woj-time hopeful john edwards is not telling the public about a medical issue. they did tell a judge he is not

healthy enough to stand trial. edwards faces campaign finance fraud and accused of using donor money of keeping his pregnant mistress a secret in 2008. josh, good afternoon to you. >> afternoon, craig. >> edwards lawyers filed sealed records and asking for a two-month extension. any word on how serious the continue is that he may have? >> it doesn't sound like it's terribly serious because theying issed it would be resolved or manageable within a month or two. i don't know what that means whether he needs surgery or something, but they did indicate they thought it would interfere with the ability to assist his defense. that's part of the reason for them requesting a delay and the volume of paperwork involved here, hundreds of thousands of pages are too much for the lawyers to digest by january 30th which is when i think this

was supposed to start. >> this is not the first time edwards's legal team asked for a delay either. any talk that this is merely an attempt to prolong the process? >> i'm sure they would like to have more time to prepare so no question about that, but whatever they filed with the court is probably truthful and how serious the medical condition is, i don't know. as recently as a couple of weeks ago, there was no sign of any outward problem. that may or may not have bearing on it. >> facing serious charges. six felony and misdemeanor counts and up to a million in fines. what kind of sentence might he be looking at? >> i think he can get about five years as a maximum which means up to like 25 years, but generally defendants are sentenced in accordance with sentencing quite lines that mean a shorter sentence in cases of

this sort. it really doesn't matter how many counts he is convicted on. it will be a tough case for him. he's not a very popular person in the public eye as a result of this affair with his wife being sick at the time and later passing away. this will be tough for his lawyers to weed out people that have hostility towards him. they have a good defense for him in this case, but getting through the jurors that may have a strong animosity towards him will be a tough thing to do. >> josh, thank you. >> sure, craig. >> still ahead here on "news nation" -- thousands taking to the streets and denouncing the deadly crack down on protesters and violence against women there. we will get a live report from cairo. plus -- >> america would be better off today if hillary clinton was our president. >> drafting hillary perhaps?

can a new movement to put hillary clinton on the 2012 ballot be a republican plot? "news nation" is back in three. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

a 12th accuser came forward with a lawsuit againsted alleged child molester jerry sandusky. the lawyer said his client was just 12 years old and the boy's mother died a year before the reported abuse. that sandusky would talk to the boy about his problems and even giving him alcohol. penn state university and the organization that sandusky found at second mile where he allegedly preyed on the victims were named in the civil suit. >> coming up, rick santorum channelling the pop up video with the newest ad. volkswagen employees will not see the flashing red light on their blackberries after hours anymore. couldn't we all be so lucky.

putting restrictions on e-mails. details on that in the "news nation" gut check. the mad dash to get home for the holidays is on. we will check in with the weather channel for the holiday channel forecast.

here's what the "news nation" is following right now. on the move, 92 million americans are getting away this holiday season and off to a smooth start. we will get an update on the travel forecast. customer chaos and things get out of hand when thousands of people lineup for retro air jordans. shots fire and several people arrested. we will tell you about that and a disturbing report and new details of the investigation into errors made in arlington national cemetery. the army reveals thousands of mistakes on grave markers. assessing the damage and a series of earthquakes strikes after a devastating and deadly

quake hits the country. right now, millions of americans heading to the holiday destinations between today and january 2nd. aaa expects 92 million people will either hit the road, hop a train, catch a plane to be with family and friends. despite an increase in gas and plane tickets, that's up nearly 1.5% over last year. tom costello is in potomac, maryland with a closer look at the holiday hustle out of town. >> good day from north potomac, maryland. this is i-270 that goes into washington, d.c. or out towards west virginia. aaa is saying nearly a third of the population will be traveling at least 50 miles or so from home over the holiday stretch. that could be going cross city, cross state, cross-country. yet again, you are in good company if you plan to be on the move over the holiday stretch. of the 92 million people

traveling 50 miles or more, nearly 84 million of us are driving. only about 5.5 million are flying. that's a big drop of nearly 10% from last year. you can blame the extra flying fees and a rough economy, but none of that matters to the family headed to florida. >> the decision is based on the fact that we have family there and have a free place to stay. >> or the curry family headed to north dakota. >> we try to make it work. family is important to us and we wanted to make sure we got home for christmas. >> how much are we paying compared to last year? the lowest round trip airfare this year is $210, up from about $175 a year ago and you still have to pay for your bags. rental cars are about $10 cheaper, $40 a day on average. the low nest five years. gasoline is averaging $3.23 for regular. last year was $3.02.

$126 will get you a room at a three-star hotel. about the same. movie tickets haven't changed much. $10.60 on average. groceries are up, 4% to 5% making a holiday get together that much more expensive. >> the typical family is living in an environment where their wamgs have not gone up in the past few years. salaries have not gone up and yet inflation has been ticking away. >> especially for food and gas. if you plan to drive over the holidays, the folks hope you don't mind a friendly year end reminder. >> stay away from driving while distracted. it's important that you focus on the task at hand which is driving. >> and keep the keys away from friends or family members who may have had too much to drink this time of year. here's an interesting factoid also from gas buddy.com.

they point out that gas prices go up 93 cents a gallon from christmas day until the point in the new year where they peak. 93 cents a gallon from sunday until some point in the new year. it may be around memorial day or what have you. hang on to your gas caps. north potomac, maryland. >> for the most part, holiday travel is off to a smooth start, but not everywhere. check out the white out conditions near new mexico. most of new mexico is under a winter storm warning. more than six inches of snow has been reported. karl parker is joining me now. how is it looking right now? >> we have issues in new mexico that will be moving into texas, but most of the country is in good shape, a far cry from yesterday when there was so much rain and severe weather through

georgia late yesterday towards the rush hour. there were not a lot of people on the roads. serious problems. there is a look at what's going on right now. the storm has moved out to the north and the east. here's a look back at the damage in georgia. we had 50 trees knocked down and 17 power poles. thousands of people without power. tens of thousands without power. there was structural damage as well. this was probably straight line wind damage and not a tornado, but a scary night and again that storm is zipped out to the north and the east. the only thing we are watching is lingering snow in new mexico. we heard about a closure along the texas-new mexico state line along i-40. light snow continues and we will see a few inches about three to five in roswell and two to four in midland. that storm that moves out tomorrow, there will be issues on the roads in texas. we are talking about 45 and 35.

i-20 and i-tennesseeing light rain and lingering snow. that rain then moves into the south on christmas day. a bit of snow in north texas. not a repeat of that severe weather in the southeast. this warm front will be to the south and it will be a chilly rain and we will find more of that on monday. a lot of folks are traveling once again and it will be across i-20. 55 as well. most of the rest of the country in very good shape and boy, what a difference as compared to last year. this was the highs on christmas day. look how cold it was across the midwest and the northeast. this year we are talk about temperatures as high as 15 to 20 degrees above average in the northern plains and very mild through the southeast and a lot of the east. outside of what's going on in the south, we will be in good shape over the next few days and back to you. >> carl parker with good news for a lot of folks out there. appreciate that. so much for the holiday spirit.

fights, that's right, fights breaking out in malls all over america right now over the brand-new air jordans. shoppers trampling each other in indianapolis in an atlanta suburb, at least four people were arrested and police had to use pepper spray in seattle. look at that little girl. geez. a gunshot was fired at a mall in richmond, california. kristin dahlgren live from los angeles this morning. what is happening? >> shoppers behaving badly once again this holiday season. what could make someone pull out a gun and fire several rounds into the air with other shoppers around? this is all about the air jordan 11 retro concord. a replica of the original that came out in 1996. it's not just about michael jordan who retired from the game, but the fact that these shoes have been collector's items over the years. back in the 90s, you probably

remember they were the target of thiefs and kids who were killed. the latest version sells for about $180 retail, but we have seen them online going for upwards of $600. the hot shoe for people who take sneakers seriously and it has been causing a frenzy around the country as they are released from the shooting in northern california. no one was hurt there, by the way. the shooter or alleged shooter was arrested. in another places, shoppers ripped the hirchls off of doors and the malls to try to get inside. thousands lined up and waited for hours around the country. there were near riots and several people arrested. in many places the shoes have sold out and other places suspended the sale today because of all the chaos. as you said, shopper are not really in the holiday spirit going for the air jordans. >> not at all. thank you so much. merry christmas to you. >> you bet. you too.

>> a flawless docking at the international space station tops the look at stories in america. an american and a dutchman arrived on board and joined three others who were already at the international space station. since nasa retired the fleet earlier, the russian shuttle is now the only vehicle to blast astronauts into space. if all goes as planned, the first commercial spacecraft could launch next year. people in christ church, new zealand running for cover after a series of strong earthquakes there. the strongest measured a 5.8 magnitude followed by two scary aftershocks. fortunately at this point no reports of any serious jurisdiction. still recovering for the february quake that killed 182 people. back here, a highly anticipated report from the army shows discrepancies among one quarter of the head stones in arlington

national cemetery. they show errors on 65,000 graves from misspelled names to incorrect military ranks and the wrong dates of births and deaths. congress ordered the the review after reports that graves were misidentified and misplaced. so far no one claimed responsibility for the twin attacks that killed at least 40 people in syria today. officials say that car bombings targeted heavily guard security and intelligence in the capital of damascus. those attacks from one day after arab league observers arrived. they are in syria to monitor the government's cross to end the crack down on protesters from syria to egypt. forget the past and move forward. that's what egypt urged after days of deadly clashes there. many don't want to hear it. today tens of thousands of protesters returned to tahrir square to denounce the deadly crack down. you can see the pictures and the

country's military has been in power since the ousting of the former dictator in february. that has egyptians outraged saying the transition to democratic rule is taking way too long. nbc news foreign correspondent is joining me live from cairo there. what is the scene like right now? >> craig, the numbers are beginning to drop down a little bit. still a few thousand people here behind me hung up the flag around the entire circle. it's become iconic through what we have seen. the people here really adamant in renouncing the military council. they called today's rally the restoration of honor and dignity. after the images that we saw earlier of a woman being dragged and stripped naked and brutally beaten in public. people grew angry with the way they cracked down and that has been the motivation behind today's protest. craig? >> for us in cairo, thank you so

much and appreciate that report, sir. up next -- >> you won't be any good in the war either. he shies at every sound. >> steven spielberg's epic war horse makes the christmas debut. it's not the only one hitting theaters this week. we will get the movie weekend round up in the scoop. first up. there was a lot going on today. here are a few of the things we thought you should know. careful what you say at least in your holiday card if you are a member of the house of representatives. members can only wish constituents a je merrick happy holidays and tax funded mailings. no merry christmas or happy hanukkah. outraged lawmakers are working

on changeing it for next year. >> america would be better off today if hillary clinton was our president. the wall street would be jailed and people could afford college and homeowners wouldn't face foreclosure. >> if you heard that robo call, it is not coming from hillary clinton. politico reporting that the latest speculation that the call is part of a plot trying to create a rift in democratic circles. and it looks like rick santorum is trying to channel the pop up video. you remember that show. running in iowa complete with little bubbles to give you fun tidbits about rick. those are just a few of the things that we thought you should know. rice? when you pour chunky beef with country vegetables soup over it... you can do dinner. four minutes, around four bucks.

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. >> happy holidays. mitt refuse to release tax

returns. that raises the question, how wonderful is mitt's life. the president sets off for hawaii, but how long will boehner's christmas gift last for the white house? >> thank you so much. we are going into a huge holiday movie weekend. steven spielberg hitting theaters with not one, but two films and add some tom cruise and dragon tattoos for the big end of the year box office bang. courtney is off and we will get the scoop from ian drew. not just editor, but senior editor. >> enough years. that's what they throw you. >> let's start with the movie that got the most hype so far. talking about the adventures of tin tin. >> the world not so much in america. we don't know if this is going to do such a big debut here, but worldwide it will be guaranteed. this is the very iconic character and reporter traveling

around the world. it is using the avatar technology for the animation. steven spielberg behind it. >> and peter jackson. >> exactly. they developed the animation and his studio. we are going to see how this does and it's really going to be reintroducing this character to the american market again. >> it's going to be interesting to see if this is a movie that does gangbusters out of the gate or whether it takes a week or two to catch on. >> what are it has is everyone wants to take their kids to something while they are off. this was a great way to keep them occupied. a lot of action and really a lot of fun and high energy. it's just the perfect move to take the kids to. >> let's talk about war horse. it's a sad to watch for a while at least. i don't want to ruin it for folks. >> it is an adult movie for kids. it has an adult story line and about this guy and this horse and relationship. it was a popular show on

broadway and in the london theaters. this is something they are trying to translate stot screen. we want to see how it does. it doesn't have a big star leading it. >> but you have a horse. >> everyone loves horses. dogs and horses do well in movies. we will see. maybe that will be strong enough. >> let's talk about tom cruise. back for mission impossible 63. what is this? four or five? >> rocky makes an appearance. it covers all the bases. >> this time he is trying to save the world. >> yes. once again. stale able to do it. the thing about this movie is very interesting. he does his own stunts including climbing the world's tallest buildings. he is in dubai and climbing up and went to the top of the building and wrote his name at the top. >> such a romantic. >> all true. he insisted on doing his own

stunts. >> do you think this will be a hit for tom cruise or dvd? >> it's already doing well. >> for appeals to kids and adults and everything likes to see stuff get blown up. >> girl with the dragon tattoo. >> it's the debut of a big screen star. this is her first. she got a nomination for it. it's an adaptation of a book that was popular and they made a swedish version and this is a polished up version who did the social network and he is good at the dark edgy movies. that's where he comes from. >> just the lighting and the clip. >> this is the young category. this is going to keep them really into the movies. >> the film here, we baud a zoo.

>> you like zoos and families and you like the movies that tie it together. they are trying to work on the relationship at the same time they acquire a zoo. all kinds of fun ensues with the animals. everything from lions to tigers and bears. >> we have a horse and a dragon and we've got a bunch of animals. >> a traveling cartoon reporter. there you go. >> what are you going to catch? >> i am seeing the decentents on christmas eve. i bought the tickets. i have not seen it yet. >> appreciate your time as always. senior editor fromus weekly. for the latest in entertainment news, go to scoop.today.com rchlg we are of course on the facebook. i did not wish you a merry festive us. volkswagen putting a limit on when employees can receive work

e-mails. getting positive feedback as you might imagine. should it be adopted by other companies? it is our gut check. you can join the news nation on facebook. we are at facebook.com/"news nation." it's facebook and not the facebook. pafr are these modern improvements. >> we'll be right back. >> heard of this thing. ♪ i think i'm falling ♪ i think i'm falling ♪ i think i'm falling ♪ ♪ i think i'm falling ♪ i think i'm falling ♪ i think i'm falling [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ for you ♪

[ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. [ cat yodeling ] honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ] kids! [ cat yodeling ] sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart.

>> join the "news nation" on twitter. you can find the twitter page at "news nation." time now for the "news nation" gut check. are you sick of being stuck on your work blackberry 24 hours a day, seven days a week? of course you are. we're all sick of being on the crack berries all the time.

some employees at volkswagen are getting a break. under pressure from the union that represents the workers. the company has agreed to stop sending e-mails to blackberries 30 minutes after the shift ends. they will stop back up and a half hour before the next work day. it affects about 1100. volkswagen said the senior managers will still get the e-mails all day every day. there is a lot of media coverage about employee burn out and a number of studies shows it causes almost 10 million sick days a year in germany. so what does your gut tell you? should other companies follow suit? go to facebook.com/"news nation" to vote. now results of yesterday's gut check. apologizing to the first lady for saying he had a "large posterior." is an apology enough or should

he promote her let's move initiative. 11% said the apology is enough, but 89% said no, he should become involved in that campaign. folk diagnosis not specify the level of involvement. we will ask that question at another juncture. that does it for this edition of "news nation." you can catch "news nation" every weekday at 2:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. richard lieuy is in for martin bashir next. have a very, very happy holiday. . wouldn't you say, honey? i fold my socks. i do. but lately, we've been using k-y® intense™. it's this gel that stimulates arousal... she's a screamer. ...so that big moment feels like nothing i've ever felt before. pretty loud. and it's scientifically proven to... ♪ [ female announcer ] k-y® brand intense™. k-y's first and only arousal gel

proven to intensify female satisfaction. let's do it, let's go to vegas. vegas baby! maybe we should head back to the dealership first? vegas! no, this is a test drive. vegas! [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a jetta. that's the power of german engineering. get zero first month's payment, zero down, zero security deposit and zero due at signing on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com.

>> it's friday, december 23rd and here's what's happening. thank you, santa claus. the president basks in the glow of the greatest christmas gift he's had in a while. >> without objection, the bill is engrossed and passed. >> merry christmas and happy holidays. >> what are you doing for